Guzmán to host district office open house Feb. 13

CHICAGO — After recently being sworn into office, State Senator Graciela Guzmán is hosting an open house at her district office to meet her and her staff.

“Transparency and collaboration with members of the community on the legislative process is one of my top priorities as a state senator,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “This open house will give folks the chance to meet me face-to-face and learn more about what I’m working on in Springfield, while also leaving space to hear their ideas for legislation to address the issues that impact them the most.”

The open house will be held at Guzmán’s district office, located at 3140 W. Montrose Ave. on Thursday, Feb. 13 from 12-7 p.m.

• In District
• Open House
• District Office

Read more: Guzmán to host district office open house Feb. 13

Guzmán to serve on Senate Public Health, Human Rights committees

SPRINGFIELD — With the 104^th General Assembly now underway, State Senator Graciela Guzmán was selected to serve on six committees in the State Senate, including Public Health, Human Rights, Higher Education, Veterans Affairs, and Appropriations for Education and Health and Human Services. 

“I am honored to have been selected to serve on these committees, all of which will hear important legislation impacting the lives of Illinoisans,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “I look forward to bringing my expertise in these subject areas and to help craft legislation so it best serves the people who are directly impacted by these issues.” 

Guzmán’s experience advocating for health care accessibility will be a valuable asset to the committees, especially when hearing proposed plans to address issues like environmental racism, health care access and reproductive health care. In addition to filing her own legislation on some of these topics, Guzmán looks forward to utilizing her knowledge to support her colleagues’ initiatives and best serve the people of Illinois.  

• Education
• Committees
• Health Care
• Human Rights
• Public Health

Read more: Guzmán to serve on Senate Public Health, Human Rights committees

Know Your Rights

Resources for our immigrant neighbors

Dear friend,

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Graciela Guzmán, and I am your new State Senator of the 20th District. I officially became your new Senator on Jan. 8. I apologize for not beginning my tenure with a formal introduction and a summary of my legislative agenda, but unfortunately, current events take precedence and demand my immediate action so we can keep our community safe.

Chicago is a sanctuary city–which means immigrants, documented and undocumented, are protected and welcomed here. I am proud of the commitment of the city and state to maintaining our status as a welcoming, safe space for our immigrant and undocumented neighbors, despite recent efforts to change this. However, it is still important to be aware of the rights you are afforded, and how you can protect yourself from detainment.

To be frank, it is an unbelievably scary time for our city. Now more than ever, we need to come together in solidarity with each other, because an attack on our immigrant neighbors is an attack on all of us. Know that I will do all I can to protect my immigrant neighbors, and take solace in the knowledge that the rest of your community is with you, too.

On that note, I would like to dedicate this special newsletter to sharing information from yesterday’s Know Your Rights and ICE Watch Training hosted by the Northwest Side Progressives where I joined Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, State Senators Karina Villa and Omar Aquino, State Representatives Will Guzzardi and Lilian Jímenez, Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada, and Alderpeople Carlos Rosa, Jessie Fuentes, Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, and Ruth Cruz.

At a Northwest Side Debrief event on November 16, 2024, over 400 neighbors committed to defending our communities from attacks on our neighbors, and we have since established a Deportation Defense Working Group that began meeting in December to organize and plan in preparation for the incoming administration’s plans to begin deportations in our communities possibly as soon as next week.

• Immigration
• Newsletter
• Know Your Rights

Read more: Resources for our immigrant neighbors